i've always liked cooking.
it has a feel to it.
like coming home
from your first day of school
when you're six
and your mother is waiting.
she wraps her arms around you
and pretends like she didn't
stay at the school,
after you jumped out of the car
and ran to your friends,
like she wasn't just outside
the classroom door
in case you started crying,
in case you missed her,
when really, she misses you.
i've always liked cooking.

About Me

Helpful Hints

Clean As You Go : less mess, more efficient, more time to enjoy your food!

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew : start with small, simple recipes until you feel comfortable and confident.

Have Fun! : No matter what you're cooking, always have fun. You're food will taste better, you will be confident and comfortable with your cooking and yourself!

Know Your Space : get to know the ins and outs of your kitchen; where things are, what works best for you, even the small things like the corks in your oven.

Simplicity Is Always Good : you don't need to make a feast out of a grain of rice, use what you have and be creative!

Stay Organized : gather what you need before you start, including ingredients, bowls, measuring cups, the whole shebang!

Worry About Fiber, Not Fat : make sure you're eating plenty of fiber-rich food and you'll find yourself craving healthy rather than sweet.

Oh Shoot, I'm Out Of...

Wine – I know there are people out there that don’t use wine in their cooking, I’m one of them, so you can use apple juice in an equal amount instead. You can also use water instead of beer, or orange juice instead of liquor.

Molasses – It seems like fewer and fewer recipes call for molasses so it’s common to not have this ingredient. Just substitute an equal amount of honey and enjoy!

Flour – Don’t sweat! In breads, you can substitute the amount of regular flour with an equal amount of bran, cornmeal, or whole wheat flour. It works best if you have at least half the called for amount in regular flour.

Cream of Celery – The great thing about all those ‘Cream of’ soups is that you can interchange them! Whether it’s Mushroom, Chicken, Celery, you can pick your favorites and the recipe will be that much tastier!

Butter – Substitute ½ cup of butter with ½ cup shortening plus ¼ tsp salt. This also works both ways, if you don’t have shortening, use butter instead!

Baking Powder – For every 1 tsp baking powder you can use ½ tsp cream of tartar with ¼ tsp baking soda. You can also use regular baking powder if you don’t have double acting baking powder, just add ½ tsp more for every 1 tsp

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Welcome to the Fabulous Kitchen of Cozy Tummies and Warm Hearts

First off, I want to welcome you all to my blog. I set up this blog to share with you one of my passions: cooking! I have another blog, where I talk about the Arts, inspiration, little things that brighten my day and get me through my creative funks. In this blog, I want to share with you my kitchen secrets, favorite recipes, tips and tricks I've learned over the years that I've been a love slave to the kitchen, which this year makes - drum roll, please - ten years!!

It's so strange to think that it's been a decade! I started cooking just after my mom had my little sister and needed more help around the house. It began with her dictating to me the recipes and me following her instructions exactly and it has evolved into my complete dominance in the kitchen. :) You laugh, but the first mistake you make in my kitchen will land you in the sour food dungeon with only the most awful food in the kingdom. :)Yeah, right, like I would ever let bad food into my domain.

In junior high and high school, I took at least a half a dozen to a baker's dozen worth of cooking classes, ranging from food and nutrition basics to participating in the Pro Start Academy program that teaches aspiring chefs the ins and outs of the business. I then moved with my family to Italy where I picked up on a thing or two from the Italian nonnas.

I love to make people happy with my food. It brings the family together, puts smiles on everyone's face and gives you that happy little buzz in your heart. Now, in an effort to bring more happiness to more people, I'm making this blog that I hope you will read and enjoy and learn something about food and the great things it brings.